Reality Rush: the Million Dollar Express
by TheDarkLegate
Summary: Co-written by Technow. Geoff and Blaineley host as sixteen brand-new competitors ride the rails in an effort to win a million dollars in this spin-off series.


**~ One Week Ago ~**

"She's right this way, sir. Again, I'd like to stress that before her apprehension, she suffered a massive psychotic break-"

"Yes, yes. I'm well aware of the circumstances leading to her incarceration. I'm paying you to release her, not give exposition."

"I'm aware sir, I just-"

"Release her."

"Very well."

Milton smiled as he walked down the hall of the insane asylum, a short in a white coat waddling along next to him.

"She's just down here," the doctor said, "do you want... The other one, too?"

"McLean?" Milton scoffed, "Of course not. He's ceased being an asset to me."

"As you say, sir."

The two began to pass by various cells, each home to some deprived manner of lunatic. When at last they came to Blaineley, the found her sitting against the wall in her cell. She had clearly seen better days- without hair products or make-up, she looked about ten years older than normal, and her previously blonde hair had reverted to a natural shade of brown.

"Well, well," Milton smiled, "how the mighty have fallen. Open 'er up, doctor, now. Time is money, and you've wasted quite enough of both."

As the doctor leaned in to unlock the cell door, Blaineley looked up and blinked, tilting her head.

"M...Milton?"

After a few minutes of processing, Blaineley smiled, and fixed her hair.

"Well, come crawling back, huh? Studio in shambles, I bet- you should have let me keep control of Camp TV, and you know it. Maybe then it would have lasted more than three seasons."

"Actually, it's already in the process of its fifth," Milton corrected her.

"...oh."

"Yes. 'Oh'. But I'm not here to talk about that."

The cell door slid open, and Milton strolled inside, taking a seat on Blaineley's bed.

"I'll make this quick. Camp TV is currently in its all-star season- after the finale airs, I plan to sell the franchise for a fortune. Now, I plan on building up another franchise to take it's place- and that's where you come in. See, I have the challenges planned, interns hired, and I even acquired a train to use. Of course, I don't have a host. And that's what I like about you, Blaineley. See, you're in a position where I can make any offer I want. Hell, I could make your salary twelve dollars and a ham sandwich, and you'd have no choice but to accept."

Milton flashed a satisfied smile as Blaineley gave a huff and turned away.

"But, I'm feeling generous," Milton said, pulling out a contract, "I think you'll find these terms to be agreeable."

Blaineley eyes the papers angrily before asking, "And what if I decide to quit halfway through and go back to Celebrity Manhunt?"

"Oh, you didn't hear?" Milton yawned, "Their headquarters burned to the ground after they saw fit to publish some nasty rumors about my company. It was a terrible accident. It's weird the accidents that happen to those who think they can cross me."

Blaineley's eyes widened, and she immediatley grabbed the contract.

"Anyone have a pen?"

**~ Present Day ~**

Milton sat in his limo, tapping his foot impatiently as he straightened his tie.

"Can't this thing go any faster?" He demanded.

Blaineley, who was sitting across from him, rolled her eyes and sipped a martini. Her hair had been re-dyed blonde, and copious amounts of make-up had been applied, making her look the same- if not a bit younger- than when she was three years ago.

"Oh, relax. We'll get there on time," she told him.

"Of course we'll get there ON TIME. I'm not trying to be ON TIME, I'm trying to be early. There's a rather inclusive cocktail party later tonight, and I'll be a laughingstock if I don't attend. So let's try to speed this along, shall we?"

Milton let out a huff.

"And Geoffrey better be there, too," He added.

Blaineley's eyes narrowed, and she crossed her arms.

"Does he REALLY need to co-host?" She asked.

"No. He doesn't. But as it turns out, his reality show was successful enough to warrant a second season. I'd like to purchase it before it goes into production- him being here is a way of me smoothing things over."

"He hates my guts," Blaineley frowned.

"I know! He's perfect!" Milton grinned.

The limo finally came to a halt. There was te sound of the front door opening and closing, before the driver came around and opened Milton's door.

"About time," Milton huffed.

Milton stepped outside before pushing the driver to the ground and walking past him. They had pulled up just outside a train station, where Geoff was already waiting.

"Hey dude," Geoff greeted, "how's it going brah?"

"Uh, hello," Milton frowned, "how are you... hanging, my brother? Blaineley, that's the vernacular the kids are using these days, right?"

Blaineley rolled her eyes.

"Uh, yeah. Exactly right."

"Ah. I knew it. I'm still hip," Milton smiled proudly, "now, the two of you have already been briefed on the specifics for our humble little show, so all that's left is to meet the contestants... oh, and uh, your interns."

Milton began snickering a little, causing Geoff and Blaineley to glance at each other suspiciously. After a few minutes of waiting, a bus pulled up, causing Milton to smile.

"Ah, there they are!" He said, pointing out the rather blatantly obvious.

The bus finally screeched to a halt, its doors opening up. Milton looked at a nearby cameraman and mouthed, "are we filming?" The cameraman gave a stiff nod, and Milton flashed a smile.

"Welcome," he announced, "to the first season of our sure-to-be hit new show Reality Rush! What happens when you take sixteen brand new competitors, pile on twist of twist, add a sprinkle of drama, a pinch of mayhem, and garnish with two hosts that hate each other's guts? Well, we're about to find out! Reality Rush takes the standard reality game show and revolutionizes it, bringing in twists you just won't find anywhere else. But more on that in a minute. By now, you're probably saying, 'Damn it Milton, I saw the promos, I know what I'm in for. Where are the contestants?' Well, let me respond by saying- no, you definitely do not know what you're in for. Second-"

Milton gestured to the bus.

"-we're about to meet our competitors now! So strap in for a viewing experience of a lifetime here on:

REALITY RUSH!... And we cut to commercial about now, right?"

~o.0.o~

After said commercial break, the camera opened to Milton and Blaineley taking a smoke break while Geoff chatted with some of the crew members. As soon as Milton realized they were on air, he flicked the cigarette away and cleared his throat.

"Welcome back to Reality Rush!" He grinned, "It's the moment you've all been waiting for- time to finally meet our new competitors! First off the bus, Harper!"

A younger looking teenager stepped off the bus. He was a bit on the short side, with tanned skin, spiked up black hair, and brown eyes. He wore a black jacket, dark blue jeans, and black sneakers. He looked around, eyes lighting up immediatley.

"Wow- I can't believe I'm finally here! Hey Geoff!"

"Sup dude," Geoff greeted.

Harper walked over to Milton, and smiled.

"Hey- you're Milton, right? I was wondering if we could talk later. See, I'm really into film making, and I had a few ideas I thought you might-"

"Yes, I'm sure you do," Milton yawned, "but I'm a very busy man, you see, and I don't quite have the time. Why don't you just, you know, stand over there."

"Oh. Uh, okay," Harper frowned.

He looked a bit disappointed, but did as was told. The next person off the bus was a familiar sight- an abnormally happy looking girl with curly blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She was wearing a glittery pink shirt, and blue jeans.

"Hi everyone!" She beamed as she twirled out of the bus, "I'm SO looking forward to this magical journey where we'll learn lessons about friendship and sharing!"

"Um... What?" Harper asked, raising an eyebrow.

"This is Stacy," Milton explained, "the former star of-"

"Stacy?" The girl laughed, "What are you talking about? My name's GLIMMER, silly!"

"Right," Milton nodded, "anyway, Glimmer here used to be the leading actress of _Rainbow Pony Rehab Center_, the highest rated show of all time."

"Is she... Okay?" Harper asked, watching as she twirled around and hummed to herself.

"Who knows?" Milton shrugged, "She was devastated when RPHC put out it's final season. Their studio burned down before they could renew the show. What a shame."

Next off the bus was a handsome male with tidy blonde hair, stubble, and green eyes. His was relatively tall, and wore a blue suit over a white collared shirt.

"Name's Dane," he smiled, "pleasure to be here. Gotta say Milton, I'm a huge fan of yours. LOVE your style."

As Dane stepped off the bus, Harper extended a hand.

"Hey there! Nice to meet you, I'm-" Harper began.

Dane blew him off, and instead walked over to Milton and Blaineley.

"Thanks for having me on," he said, "I mean, originally I was supposed to be on Sunset Cruise, but, heh, my spot ended up being taken by a coffee-maker or something. I'm SURE that was all just a misunderstanding or something- someone must have mixed up the rejects with the accepted applications."

"Oh, I'm sure," Milton said, amused.

A tall brunette girl stepped off the bus, a duffel bag slung over her shoulder. She wore a zipped up brown jacket and dark blue jeans- nothing too special. What alarmed a few of the people nearby was the rapier sticking out of her bag.

"Is... Is that a sword?" Dane asked.

"Hm? Oh, sorry!" The girl said, turning and zipping up her bag, "I'm pretty into dueling- the tips are covered though, don't worry. I wanted to get some practicing done during my time here- maybe find a worthy challenger. I'm Jessica, by the way."

"Wow, a duelist, huh? That's awesome," Harper smiled, clearly a bit infatuated, "I'd love to see sometime. A duel, I mean."

"Uh, sure!"

Dane smirked, and leaned towards Harper, whispering, "Way out of your league, man."

Harper opened his mouth to reply, but Milton was already introducing the next contestant- next TWO contestants.

"And here we have siblings Irving and Samantha!" Milton announced.

The two weren't twins, but they were very similar in appearance. They had the same black hair, chestnut eyes, and pale skin, but that was it. Irving was much taller, and a bit on the skinny side. He was also dressed ridiculously- a red shirt with white sleeves over blue jeans and brown sneakers. This wasn't what was unusual. What was unusual was the night vision goggles he had on his head, as well as the various pieces of camera equipment had had strapped to himself.

Samantha was short, a bit chubby, and had plenty of freckles. She wore a shirt with the avengers logo on it, and had a bow in her hair.

Irving looked held up a strange device, and frowned.

"No signs of spectral activity," he frowned, "ugh, I knew I should have gotten my application in for that other show sooner!"

"Cheer up!" Samantha told him, "Maybe there will be ghosts on the train?"

"It's not likely," Irving sighed, "but thanks anyway."

"Cute. What are you guys, the junior division of the Ghost Busters?" Dane snickered.

"And up next is Javier!" Milton announced.

Javier was tall, and a bit on the muscular side with tan skin, short black hair and dark brown eyes. He was wearing an unbuttoned black shirt over a white tank top, torn jeans, and sunglasses he had clipped to his collar.

"Hey- it's a pleasure to meet all of you," He said with a genuine smile.

"No, it's a pleasure to have YOU," Milton corrected, "please send your father my regards, won't you?"

"Your father?" Dane frowned.

"Oh, yes! Javier here is the son of Cesar Rubio, an entrepreneur down in Mexico," Milton explained, "their family is very famous- and wealthy."

"Wait a second- I know you," Geoff nodded, "yeah, Javier and Cesar Rubio! Dude, I went to one of your dad's parties a year or two back, sick times, bro!"

Javier's eye twitched a little. Couldn't he just do something for once without the influence of his family getting involved? Nevertheless, he forced a smile.

"Yes, that's us," Javier nodded, "fortunately I'm not much like my father-"

"You aren't?" Milton scoffed, "In that case, stop talking to me and get back in line. Oh, now HERE'S something interesting. You guys remember Johnny from Camp TV?"

"Yeah!" Harper smiled, eyes lighting up, "Is he here?"

"Nope. But his sister is! Say hello to Cass!"

It was a good thing Milton had mentioned she and Johnny were sibligs, because no one would have been able to tell otherwise. Unlike her brother's almost grizzled looks and serious demeanor, Cass' eyes had the glint of a troublemaker. She wore a tattered, dusty brown leather jacket, pants with the occasional odd patch sewn in, boots, and work gloves. The only thing that bore any similarity to her brother was the hat she wore.

"Well, howdy," she smirked, stepping off the bus.

"Dude, I met your brother," Geoff told her, "dude's got skill."

"Shoot- you ain't seen anything yet," Cass said before taking her place with the rest of the competitors.

"Okay, next it seems we have-"

"Winston Reginold Tattersfield the third, at your service."

Everyone turned to see a very good looking male step off of the train. He was incredibly well dressed- his short black hair was combed perfectly, and his grey vicotorian-era looking suit was immaculate. He even had a cane to tie it all together. He winked at the girls, his bright green eyes practically shining. Although Jessica and Samantha practically swooned, Cass just rolled her eyes, and Glimmer seemed not to notice.

"He's not all that," Harper muttered.

"Pfft. My suit's better than his," Dane scowled.

"Might I say it's a pleasure to be here," Winston smiled, "such a splendid thing to be given an opportunity to compete in a challenge that tests both our wits and abilities. Truly these will be remarkable days to come."

"Indeed they will," Milton agreed, "Winston here also comes from a rather influential family."

"You're too kind- I'm sure no one here has heard of the Tattersfield family, although it is true back in England our name carries a great deal of weight."

"Wow- are you royalty, or something?" Jessica asked.

"Royalty? Oh dear girl, of course not. Just wealthy beyond your wildest dreams," Winston answered.

"Yeah. Right. Are we gonna get this overwith?" A voice from the bus asked.

Standing in the bus' doorframe was a very annoyed looking girl. He hair was dyed black with blue tips, and she wore a black tank top, dark pants, and a spike belt.

"Pearl, nice of you to join us," Milton shrugged, "why don't you go stand over there and be angsty?"

"Fine, whatever."

As she walked over, a dark-skinned boy stepped down, and scowled at her.

"Ugh. Honey, I'm placing you under arrest for fashion crimes against humanity. Looking that bad should NOT be legal," he muttered.

"Everyone, this is Burton, a budding fashion designer from... I don't know, somewhere," Milton shrugged.

"Thanks for having me on, Milton," Burton smiled, "of course, I'm sure it won't be long before I got my own spin-off show, anyway."

"Oh, definitely not, no," Milton nodded, rolling his eyes, "and after Burton, we have Tilly. She grew up in a circus, or something, I don't know."

Tilly, who was dressed like an acrobat and had her brown hair pulled back into a bun, did a flip out of the bus. She then turned and bowed- only to receive a "GET IN LINE!" from Milton.

The next contestant reeked of pretentiousness. He wore a white collared t-shirt and brown pants, as well as sandals. He wore his brown hair in a ponytail, and had a bit of scruff on his face.

"Hey there dude, what's your name?" Geoff asked.

"I go by Plant," he responded.

"Of course you do," Blaineley sighed.

Plant walked over and took his place next to the other contestants.

"Hey- how are you doing?" Javier asked him.

"Really great. It must be this new diet I'm on- I'll have to tell you about it sometime. People just don't understand what they'd putting in their bodies these days."

"Uh... Sure," Javier frowned.  
>Javier turned, and saw a girl with wavy black hair step off the bus. She was wearing a red blouse and skirt, and was very pretty- although she seemed a bit nervous to be on camera. She took a hesitant step forward, and cleared her throat.<p>

"Uh, hi," she said, forcing a smile, "I'm Wendy."

"Glad to have you- but we're on a bit of a schedule here. Could you please move it along?" Milton asked.

"Oh, um, sorry!" Wendy blushed as she hurried away.

"Now, we just have two contestants left," Milton announced, "so, give a warm welcome to Ryuzaki!"

Ryuzaki stepped off the bus, hunched over, hands in his pockets. He had messy black hair, and wore a long sleeved-gray shirt over black pants and shoes. He was also very... slender, and his pale skin made him look almost sickly.

"This guy is actually gonna compete with us?" Dane snickered.

"I'd be careful if I were you. Ryuzaki has an IQ of one hundred and eighty-one," Milton said.

At this, Winston smiled a bit- but said nothing. Ryuzaki slowly walked over to the other contestants.

"Areee you okay?" Wendy asked.

Ryuzaki waited a bit before answering.

"In ten seconds, either duck, or take a few steps to the left."

"Wh-what?" Wendy stammered, confused.

Javier's eyes widened, and he pulled Wendy aside as an unknown biker sped past, crashing into the train station.

"What was that?" Samantha gasped.

The biker lay in a crumpled heap before raising a triumphant fist, and getting to her feet.

"How long was that? Tell me someone was timing that?"

The biker looked around at everyone excitedly. The contestants, however, were more confused than anything else.

"Oh, come on!" The girl exclaimed, removing her helmet, "I rode down that big-ass hill over there without brakes for dramatic effect, give me something!"

The girl was slightly tanned, and wore a black tank top over yellow shorts. Her brown hair was short and spiky, and she had on knee and elbow pads.

"Flash," Milton growled, "didn't I specifically tell you to take the bus like everyone else?"

"What fun is that?" Flash smiled, sticking her tongue out at Miton.

"Okay, fine, nevermind. You're all here now, so I should explain some things," Milton sighed, "welcome to the first season of Reality Rush. The sixteen of you will be competing for the chance to earn one million dollars- but to do it, you'll have to survive until the very end, conquering challenge after challenge and defeating those around you. Now, for our first season, you'll be riding a train across Canada, occasionally stopping for a challenge. You will each have your own private accommodations- first come first serve, but we'll get to that in a moment. At the end of each challenge, the players who performed the best will be rewarded appropriatley. They will either be given an upgrade to their carriage, or other material prizes. More will be explained over time."

"Where is the train?" Harper asked.

"All in good time, dear boy," Milton explained, "there are some things we need to establish first."

"Right. What are the teams?" Samantha asked.

"Simple. There are no teams!" Milton exclaimed.

There was a collective gasped, and Milton smiled.

"That's right. There are no permanent teams on this show, except for the occasional challenge in which you'll be permitted to work together. Elimination works much differently, too. Instead of the person with the most votes being kicked off, it's going to be a bit more... complex. At the end of each challenge, there will be a Big Loser, the person who performed the worst. After the challenge, there will be a voting ceremony, but instead of the person who receives the most votes leaving, they will enter the bottom two along with the Big Loser. The two will then compete in a mini-challenge, with the loser being the one eliminated. The winner gets to stay another couple of days on the show."

The contestants began to look around at each other uneasily.

"As you can see, this game is going to be a bit more complex than the standard gameshow," Milton boasted, "more twists will be explained overtime. Our first challenge will begin shortly- but for now, cameramen are available if any of you wish to leave confessionals."

A few of the contestants nodded, and walked away.

CONFESSIONAL: Winston

And you're sure no one can hear us?.. Good. I dare say I was expecting a bit more from the competition this year. Oh, who am I kidding? I guessed they'd be this pathetic, all of them! A few of them may prove to be a bit of handful, but none of them will be able to hold a candle to me. There isn't a single person here clever enough to match my cunning... I'll enjoy watching them all fall.

CONFESSIONAL: Harper

Okay, so... maybe this will be a it harder than expected, but I still have a shot at this! ...probably.

CONFESSIONAL: Ryuzaki

*Ryuzaki sits in an odd, hunched over position. He sits silently for a while, fidgeting with something in his hands before speaking.*

Hm. Perhaps this will be more interesting than I first thought.

*he holds up the object in his hands- a chess piece. A rook, to be precise.*

I didn't come here to win any money, truth be told. I thought it might pose an interesting challenge. Of course, I've been wrong before.

CONFESSIONAL: Wendy

Well, the no teams thing is a bit of a shock, but... um, I'm still gonna make the best of this. I signed up so I could make some friends and work through a few self-esteem issues- wait, crap. I probably shouldn't have said that on camera- can I get a do over?

CONFESSIONAL: Flash

Heh, these guys don't have anything on me! I've been into extreme-sports since I was six, I'm ready for anything this game can throw at me!

CONFESSIONAL: Cass

Pfft. And they all think Johnny was somethin'. I'm gonna take this competition by storm- there ain't no way I'm gonna lose to a group like this.

END CONFESSIONALS

Milton led all of the contestants inside the train station. The platform opened up to a nice view of the surrounding oceanside. The contestants peered out, and saw the track ran all the way towards a mountain that wasn't too far off.

"Cool- so when's the train getting here?" Dane asked.

"Oh, it's not coming here- it's waiting for you up that mountain," Milton smirked.

"Up... Up that mountain?" Dane groaned, "You can't be serious!"

"I am serious, and don't call me Shirley."

"...but I didnt-"

"Yes you- ugh, nevermind," Milton frowned, "now, like I said, the trains are first come first serve. Your first challenge is to race towards that mountain, and scale it. The first people there will have the advantage of picking the best carriages, while the last person there WILL be up for elimination."

"We're having an elimination already?" Samantha gasped.

"Oh yes," Milton smiled, "there will be someone going home tonight, make no mistake."

The contestants all looked at Milton nervously. That sat there, silent, until Cass leapt in to the track and began running.

"H- hey! That's cheating, she's cheating!" Plant complained.

Dane smiled, and jumped on to the tracks, giving chase. The other competitors followed suit, until everyone was charginkng towards the mountain- except Plant and Pearl.

"HE NEVER SAID GO!" Plant shouted.

"And that's why you won't make it far here," Milton smiled, "sitting around without taking initiative. Very well- go."

Plant immediatley kicked into action, while Pearl hesitantly made her way down.

"Ugh, I hate running," she griped.

Milton smirked, and gestured for Geoff and Bridgette to follow him. The three walked outside, and Milton halted outside his limo.

"We can drive this up," he explained, "and on the way, you can meet your two interns."

"Woah! We have INTERNS?" Geoff exclaimed.

"Oh yeah," Milton snickered, "in fact, you've worked with them before."

Milton opened up the car door, revealing the two figures inside.

"This is NOT what I had in mind when I asked for another shot at something!" Eva hissed.

"We aren't really going up that mountain, are we?" Harold asked, "High-altitudes make me query."

"Great," Blaineley muttered, face-palming.

"Come on, get inside," Milton told them, "I'm only sticking around until the end of the episode, so we need to get some things cleared up-"

The three piled into the limo, and a second later the engine kicked on. A figure who was leaning up against the wall watched silently as the limo pulled away.

"So," Aria smiled, "the games begin."

(A/N: And there it is, the first part of Reality Rush! I'm pretty excited to be working on a new cast of characters, since this is the first time I've been able to wipe the slate clean and start fresh- and of course I'm looking forward to working with the few familiar faces who HAVE returned. As for me, I'm off to work on other stuff- the next chapter will likely be brought to you by Technow. I hope you've enjoyed the intro- it only goes up from here!)


End file.
